Greenberg Traurig

Greenberg Traurig, LLP is a Miami-based 1,350-lawyer full-service international law firm "with the fourth-largest number of lawyers in the United States and eighth-largest worldwide." The firm was founded in 1967 by Miami lawyer Mel Greenberg. "Much of Greenberg Traurig's growth has been achieved through several mergers, including its 1998 pairing with Atlanta entertainment practice Katz, Smith & Cohen, and its 1999 acquisition of Minkin & Snyder." [1][2][3][4]

Lobbying

"In 1998, Greenberg Traurig was named one of the top lobbying firms in the nation by Fortune magazine. The Firm was ranked No. 40 among the nation's top lobbying firms having 'the most power and access in the business.'" [5]

Bush-Greenberg Traurig Connections

The following enumerations were published in September 2004 by, among others, the Portland Indymedia. Some sources have been provided in support.

"Court's reputation being tested," Associated Press (cjonline.com), December 11, 2000: "Barry Richard, a partner in the firm, is the lead Bush attorney in Florida. Richard, who is a Democrat, said he was called Nov. 8 about representing Bush." re Barry S. Richard

"Ethics experts say Scalia, Thomas connections not conflicts of interest," CNN, December 12, 2000. See "Justice Scalia's sons": "John Scalia, 35, has accepted a job offer with the Washington office of Greenberg Traurig. Another Bush lawyer, Barry S. Richard, is a partner in that firm's Tallahassee office. ... John Scalia won't actually join the Greenberg, Traurig firm until sometime next year, according to partner Joe Reeder, who said the job was offered weeks before the election and has no connection to the Florida case."

8. "Firm partner is Marvin S. Rosen, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Finance Chairman who supervised activities of convicted fund-raiser and DNC vice-chairman of finance John Huang who had to return half of $3 million+ raised by him because of contributions from illegal foreign sources.

9. Bush still owes Greenberg firm nearly one million dollars for work done by dozens of lawyers and paralegals--leaving some to question why a Republican candidate would hire a Democratic lawyer from a Democratic firm ...

"Greenberg Traurig has yet to receive more than $314,000 in legal fees charged to a Bush committee during the 2000 Florida recount ... As a corporation, Greenberg’s unpaid tab represents a massive in-kind campaign contribution, far larger than anything that went unreported by DeLay. But it appears to be legal: corporations are allowed to donate any amount to the nebulous type of committee employed during the recount. It would, however, violate the committee's self-imposed $5,000 contribution limit from individual donors. ... Greenberg’s leadership has apparently declined to press the issue. Jill Perry, Greenberg’s director of marketing and public affairs, declined to comment," according toThe Raw Story's John Byrne, May 5, 2005.

"Dubya's Mouthpieces,"FlaPolitics Blogspot, August 10, 2004: "With the Democrats threatening to file lawsuits in anticipation of post-presidential election fallout, Republicans are amassing their own team of legal eagles, headed in Florida by Gov. Jeb Bush's former deputy general counsel. ... Hayden Dempsey, who left Bush's office to join the prominent Greenberg Traurig firm last year, confirmed Monday he has been tapped as the statewide chairman of the Bush-Cheney campaign's legal defense team," Lawyers for Bush-Cheney '04 Inc. See Lawyers for Bush-Cheney.

According to Common Cause, Greenberg Traurig earned $275,000, from 2002-to-date:

"Diebold Election Systems, owned by Diebold Incorporated, is one of the leading voting machine vendors across the country. The company has been the focus of a national debate about the role partisan politics should play in the voting machine selection process. Walden O'Dell, Chairman, President and CEO of Diebold Inc., is a Pioneer for President Bush’s reelection campaign, and has hosted a fundraiser with Vice President Cheney that netted $500,000. (Atlanta Journal Constitution 12/6/03) Diebold Inc. and Mr. O’Dell gave $100,965 in soft money to the Republican Party during the 2002 election cycle on the national level. Diebold Inc.’s executives and employees have given $63,290 in campaign contributions at the federal level since 1999, all but $4,775 was donated to Republican candidates and committees. (Center for Responsive Politics) Chairman and CEO of Diebold Inc., Walden O’Dell, rang the closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on August 27, 2003. O’Dell also stated he is committed to 'helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the President next year.' (N.Y. Times 12/2/03)."

In March 2004, Jack Abramoff, "one of K Street’s top Republican rainmakers, ... stepped down from lobbying shop Greenberg Traurig amidst a Senate investigation into the multi-million dollar fees that he charged several American Indian tribes since 2001," Roll Call reported. [6]

According to the Washington Post, February 12, 2005, "Greenberg Traurig pressured Abramoff to resign from the firm last year when his fees and financial arrangements were disclosed in a Washington Post report. The firm said at the time it was unaware of certain personal financial transactions by Abramoff, but it has declined to provide details of what Abramoff told his partners about his dealings with Scanlon and the tribes." [7]

Legal Times reported October 4, 2004, that at the September 29, 2004, Senate Indian Affairs Committee hearing, "Greenberg Traurig, escaped without a scratch. In fact, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., went out of his way to praise the firm for cooperating fully with the committee's investigation into Abramoff and Scanlon. And Sen. Tim Johnson, D-S.D., portrayed the firm as a victim ... But questions remain: How was a firm stacked with hundreds of legal and lobbying professionals unable to see what was going on with their flamboyant and controversial partner? And will Greenberg be able to use ignorance of Abramoff's activities as a defense against investigations and possible litigation?"

"Privately, current and former Greenberg lobbyists and lawyers, as well as those who have had close working relationships with the firm, describe a firm culture where few direct questions were asked of Abramoff because of his rainmaking abilities. Abramoff's practice brought in about $10 million a year, and without him, Greenberg's D.C. lobbying revenues have tanked -- dropping more than 90 percent in the first half of 2004, according to lobbying disclosure records.

"E-mails, checks and other documents released by the committee -- many of them subpoenaed from Greenberg -- show Abramoff and Scanlon collecting tens of millions of dollars and shuffling the money through a network of foundations and side businesses. The transactions, Senate investigators contend, were designed to blur just how much cash was being collected and where it was coming from.

"Greenberg insiders assert they had no idea about Abramoff's potentially illegal activities. 'He flat out lied to us,' says one former colleague of Abramoff. ... But Greenberg may not have an easy time distancing itself from the scandal and avoiding possible liability by painting itself as an unwitting victim of an errant employee." [8]

"Greenberg Traurig Recruits GOP Veteran Sam Skinner,"Roll Call, May 17, 2004: "Less than three months after ousting superlobbyist Jack Abramoff, the law firm Greenberg Traurig is taking its first steps to rebuild its Washington office and continue its meteoric rise up the list of top lobbying firms in Washington."

Michael Hardy, "Law firm hires Reichelt,"fcw.com, January 6, 2005: "Karl Reichelt, who left his position as chief of staff at the General Services Administration late last year, has joined the law firm of Greenberg Traurig as director of federal marketing in the Governmental Affairs practice. Reichelt will share leadership of the federal marketing team with fellow director Bethany Noble."

Jack Abramoff and Indian Casinos

Matthew Haggman and Dan Christensen, "Greenberg Traurig Lobbyist-Rainmaker Resigns,"law.com "Daily Business Review," March 4, 2004: "The Greenberg Traurig law firm has forced out its biggest Washington rainmaker amid controversy over tens of millions of dollars in fees charged to four Indian tribes over the past several years. ... Jack Abramoff, a Republican lobbyist and fund-raiser with close ties to powerful House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, resigned on Tuesday at the request of the firm. He was the head of Greenberg's Washington lobbying office."